Braveheart

The Patriot (Extended Cut) [Blu-ray]
$28.95
Oh, I cannot tell you how my heart is so warmed by reading what my British cousins across the sea have written about this piece of cinematic crap. Amazon.UK even described it as "sufficiently intelligent," an indulgence from the land that invented the English Language, only to be rewarded by this crap. It's a good thing we know how to cross oceans with firearms, otherwise they would have killed us all by now.

Yet it has a "patriotic" tone and theme, and therefore we must be polite. Yes?
No. After the success of Saving Private Ryan, the screenwriter was directed to come up with something fast. It shows. If this trash was written in any more than 30 days, I`ll be shocked. Have you ever watched a film where you were so terribly embarrased for the actors on the screen that you actually slunk down in your seat so no one one could see the red on your face? Well, when I saw this film's debut in Connecticut, there wasn't a dry head in the house.

The origins of the American Revolution are mystery. Keep it that way. It is not a topic to delve in. It is not a two-bit screenwriter's business.

Gladiator (Widescreen Edition)
$19.99
I've seen several reviews -- both in magazines and on-line -- excoriating this transfer for its mediocre image quality. I'm not sure what they're talking about.

As for sharpness and real detail, this transfer has gobs of it. Richard Harris is a lined and wrinkled geezer, and the close-ups of the women -- well, woman -- plainly reveal that they're (she's) not wearing makeup.

My only complaint is that this is the first Blu-ray I've seen with visible edge enhancement. You will occasionally see trailing-edge overshoot. It's not common, but it does occur.

Regardless, the BD's image quality quite obliterates the DVD's. Oddly, the CGI looks much more believable in the Blu-ray than it does on the DVD. I've seen this with other films, and have no explanation, other than the extra detail makes the fake stuff more plausible.

As for the film... It's "Ben-Hur" redux, without the Christianity. The /overall/ arc of the stories are the same -- a man is unjustly accused of crimes, then has to "prove himself" to the Roman populace. The principal difference is that "Ben-Hur" is a story of revenge in which the principal character eventually discovers how unimportant revenge is, while "Gladiator" is explicitly not about revenge, but about a man's desire to return to what /is/ important to him.

Russel Crowe might /think/ he's the world's greatest actor, but he ain't. The otherwise-sharp script portrays him primarily as someone who /doesn't/ want to be where he is. It's hard to act /negative/ attitudes, and he does little except yearn and pine and be noble. Perhaps this is all for the good -- the part is better underplayed. Richard Harris is far more effective -- and memorable -- as Marcus Aurelius.

Outside of the fact that the story is a broad fictionalization of real people and events, there are surprisingly few (apparent) errors or anachronisms. Surprisingly, it gets the "thumbs-up/down" gesture wrong. The thumb represents the sword -- "thumbs up" means cut the guy's throat, "thumbs down" means bury the sword in the sand. And when Oliver Reed's character complains that his giraffes won't mate -- "You sold me queer giraffes!" -- it reflects a modern view of sexuality that would have made no sense to Mediterranean people.

"Gladiator" is, overall, an very entertaining and well-paced film -- but it's hardly an Oscar contender. It won because, as with many Best Picture winners, it lavishly combines Spectacle and Sentiment. Though almost everyone dies, it's still a Happy Ending.

The extras are lavish, including a 3.5 hour (!) feature on the film's making. The first 12 minutes or so of it were transferred with the wrong cadence, and every time something moves, you see scaning-line breakup. There are also at least 100 short segments on various aspects of the film and its production. (I believe all of this appeared in the three-DVD set, but I no longer have it for comparison.)

The Epic Legends Collection (Braveheart / Gladiator - Extended Edition)
$34.98
Now all they need to do is combine Troy and Alexander for 2 Epic Fails

History's Mysteries - The True Story of Braveheart (History Channel)
$24.95
William Wallace is to be respected and revered for what he was..a patriot to Scotland as were our patriots here during the American Revolution. This dvd tries to take him out of legend a little and paint a more accurate picture of his origins, his education, the political turmoil and harshness of that period. He fought and gave his life for his country as our soldiers do and this tries to give as much reality to that as is possible. Many things are just unknown regarding details in his past and the narrators point this out. It's also interesting to hear the various historians give their 'take' or opinion of what we know.

My only complaint is them using that horrid 'hollywood/Mel Gibson' Braveheart statue that stands outside the Visitor's Centre. I've been there several times and given what that man did for Scotland, that statue is an insult. The majesty of his legend is better reflected on the Wallace Monument itself. I know maintaining tourist sites requires funding and more tourists can relate to Mel Gibson & Hollywood rather than the true Scotland but I sincerely wish they hadn't even shown it. Its the one factor that blemished an otherwise great dvd. If you like Scottish history and seek additional information, this will give it to you but only parts so don't expect a dissertation. Very good. I enjoyed it.